VOA慢速英语--刚果音乐家参加12月选举获政治支持

Congolese Musicians Get Political for December Elections

On a warm Saturday afternoon in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a group of men sit outside a shopping center in Kinshasa, the capital.

Some of the men wear heavy gold jewelry¹ and have unusual hair and clothing styles. They are rap musicians and they look the part. But this meeting is not about music. The men are discussing politics and the long-delayed elections Congo is to hold in December.

One man in a black T-shirt stands and says he is thinking of seeking local office. Then Lexxus Legal, the most famous rapper in the group, goes to the stage.

Do not wait to run for office, he says. If a national level office seems too high, he continues, go door-to-door to ask for support in your local communities.

Lexxus Legal has been in the music business for 20 years. He writes songs about social and political issues. They include "The Art of War," "Misunderstood" and "Dare Peace.”

Lexxus Legal is one of the most respected DRC rappers. Now, he tells the crowd, he will seek a seat in the national parliament.

"I want it to be known that I'm not starting a new career, but it's simply a logical follow-up," he says. "I have always been politically minded even though I never joined a political party."

Politics, Music Often Intertwined in DRC

At the office of the ruling People's Party for Reconstruction² and Democracy, people move to the sounds of Congolese dance music. The lead singer, Jigodo Ekopo excites the crowd.

"Clap for Shadary! Shadary!" he says.

The crowd is a mix of politicians, women selling food and unemployed³ young men guarding the gate. They all clap loudly.

Current President Joseph Kabila announced last month that he is resigning, after 17 years in office. He has named former interior minister Emmanuel Shadary as his choice for the next leader of Congo.

Ekopo agrees with that choice. He makes money by singing praises of the ruling party.

"We are not musicians, we are not artists. We are politicians," Ekopo told VOA. "Kabila is the father of democracy. He has handed power over to Shadary and we support that."

Lexxus Legal chose a different career path.

"Politicians take musicians as simple public entertainers who must sing their praises after meetings. At the very beginning, I refused to play that game. I have never performed during political discussions or meetings, but I don't criticize artists that do this," he says.

The ruling party often represses the opposition⁴. It has barred six opposition members from seeking the presidency⁵ in the upcoming elections. Former rebel and vice⁶ president Jean-Pierre Bemba is among those barred. But, he is fighting the ban. He is considered strong competition to the ruling party candidate.

Popular rapper Bob Elvis released the hit song "Degage" a few weeks ago. It condemns⁷ corruption⁸ of the ruling party. Elvis’s family told VOA that two weeks ago state security forces seized the singer and held him for days.

Elvis is now released, but he has avoided the media since.

Some avoid politics

Many other music artists stay away from heavy issues in their work.

"Music should be fun. That's why we do it. That's why people like it," says singer Rihanna Prescott. "It's happy, especially Lingala music, our local music."

Prescott is the lead singer for the band that she and her friends created recently, Star Music. They do not talk about politics in their music.

However, musicians like Lexxus Legal are ready for whatever changes their political goals bring. Legal says that if he is elected for parliament, he will have to slow down his music-making and face politics.

But he is not worried. He says, "I know my fans will understand."

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

clap - v. to hit the palms of your hands together usually more than once?

entertainer - n. a person (such as a singer, an actor, or a comedian) who entertains other people?

logical - adj. sensible or reasonable?

style - n. a particular way in which something is done, created, or performed

1 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

2 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

3 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。